The adage ‘Prevention is better than cure’ applies best to diseases. Among the methods to avoid occurrence of illnesses, yoga has prime importance. “Yoga, in fact, increases our resistance. That is the relevance of yoga,” says yoga guru and director of Patanjali yoga training and research centre (Pytric) Kaithapram Vasudevan Namboodiri.
However, Namboodiri points out that yoga and exercise are different. “Speed is an important factor in exercise. However, yoga does not need quickness. In yoga, breathing and physical movements are closely related; when kneeling you breathe out and during straightening you breathe in,” says the yoga trainer.
Moreover, after an exercise session, one would be exhausted. But after doing yoga, you will feel energetic. “After physical exercises, muscles tighten while after yoga they relax,” adds Namboodiri.
Any person can carry out yoga at an open space with a mat that is 2 feet wide and 6 feet long, says the yoga guru.
Yo Yo Yoga
Meanwhile, for the convenience of the youth, yoga too has undergone major modifications. “Youths these days display a keen interest in yoga. Several new forms of the ancient science are now being practiced to stimulate the interest of the youth,” says young yoga trainer and head of ‘Yogasruthi’, Sudakshana Thampi.
Youngsters nowadays start working from an early age and face pressure and stress. “Many youths consider yoga as a stress reliever. Instead of the traditional yoga that involves slow movements, new methods like Bikram yoga have much relevance in this context,” according to Thampi.
The work-related stress faced by employees is an issue affecting corporate firms also. Some people take leave from work owing to stress while some others even quit. To overcome such situations, companies resort to yoga. Some information technology firms even train their staff to engage in yoga while sitting in their office chairs. In some offices staffs also carry out yoga on mats at some free space.
“Earlier, our youngsters were not aware of the importance of wellness. Though the situation is changing, for many youths yoga is still a secondary affair. However, such and attitude will change soon,” says Thampi.
“Many youths ask us whether a yoga session isn’t a lengthy affair. But our efficiency improves after yoga and we would, in fact, save much time,” she points out.
